Evening at Endymion: The Blush and Buff Spring Gala

Welcome to Evening at Endymion: The Blush and Buff Spring Gala! Join us for a night of elegance and fun at The Plant Venue on Sat May 18 2024 starting at 6:00 PM. Get ready to dress to impress in your best blush and buff attire as we dance the night away and enjoy delicious food and drinks while supporting a great cause.

This year’s goal is my testimony and the maternal challenges I faced as many African American women today are enduring. Black, non-Hispanic women have a maternal mortality rate four times higher than white, non-Hispanic women. I suffered three miscarriages, two of which were second-trimester losses due to preterm labor that changed the scope of my mental capacity and diminished my desire to become a mother. Fortunately, due to aggressive care and available resources, I am the proud mother of a beautiful thirteen-year-old teen, Miss Kerrigan Holmes.

Deaths from pregnancy complications have become more prevalent in Mississippi, and racial disparities in the health of those who give birth have widened in recent years. Our event this year promises to shed light on this community crisis and bridge the gap of necessary medical resources for women of color.

Bougie Backyards, LLC is busy planning another exciting event like the Blitzen Gala, where we raised a sizable donation for Mississippi Families for Kids and Project Impact the following year. In 2022 and 2023, we hosted our first-ever spring gala sponsoring The SHE Project, founded by Dr. Mauda Monger, Ph.D. This year we will be supporting the Magnolia Medical Foundation.

Celebrity chef, Nick Wallace, radio personality Michelle “Chelle B” Boyd, former sports director Josh Jackson of WAPT and WLBT Meteorologist Patrick Ellis, Jr. were just a few of our highlights in the bachelor and bachelorette auction. It promises to be a first-class event and an excellent opportunity for local businesses to associate themselves with a worthwhile cause and bring awareness of their products and/or services. Our bachelor and bachelorette auction will also be featured again this year with more local celebrities to raise additional funds.

Magnolia Medical Foundation was founded by Dr. Erica Quinn Thompson in 2009 to provide preventative health services to high-risk and underserved individuals and communities. By providing preventative health services consisting of screenings, health education, promotion, and chronic disease management services for ailments like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and others. Our team of dedicated staff and volunteers work tirelessly to provide free food and to the public with our food program and diaper program. In 2023, MMF has supplied food to over 17,000 individuals in need at no cost and that number continues to grow. Our diaper pantry distributed over 170,000 diapers, and over 5,000 feminine hygiene products.

Other programs include MS ACE Project catered to improve black minority maternal health with the goal to improve health outcomes for black families whilst lowering the rates of maternal illness & death among black communities. HIV testing project with over 400 HIV self-testing kits distributed to individuals within the Jackson, MS area and the MS Delta community.

The REQUIRED dress for the evening is COCKTAIL ATTIRE. The color scheme for each and every guest is BLUSH and BUFF (light pink and nude shades ONLY). White, ivory, and khaki are acceptable colors.

Suits, dresses, pants, shirts, skirts, and any accents should be within the color scheme. The attire will be checked by door attendants and guests not following the dress will be denied entry to event.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Plant Venue, 133 Commerce Park Drive, Jackson, United States